[monorail]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21519998 I've always hated DEET anyway--- the chemical-factory smell is far worse than being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

[Boywonder]

I still carry some DEET as a backup. But I found the greatest mosquito stuff on earth.. Permethrin!! http://www.rei.com/product/768970/sawyer-permethrin-pump-spray-24-oz I would rather use DEET than get eaten alive by mosquitoes though. I can't stand those little buggers.

[Malachai Constant]

The BBC article sounds like BS to me. They did not establish any genetic change. All that it shows is a possible acquired behavior under laboratory conditions. Remember mosquitoes do not live all that long. They can survive and reproduce without human blood. It is far more likely for them to evolve resistance to insecticides, simply the resistant ones survive and reproduce conferring an evolutionary advantage. Just because you can solve differential equations does not mean your kids can.

[cefire]

PLOS doesn't usually publish all that much 'BS'. More likely the news source just misinterpreted the findings.

[contour5]

[AR]

Permethrin is also highly toxic to cats. So using it if you have a loved pet cat is not recommended.

[Boywonder]

That is true Permethrin is toxic when not dry. Once in its 'dry state' it is fine (According to the makers). I definitely would not spray the stuff in any type of closed environment whatsoever. I would wear a mask when spraying on my clothes and stuff.

[wolffie]

Whorton, The Arsenic Century It's amazing and fun to sneer at the ignorant fools of yesteryear poisoning themselves, until you reflect that nobody is as good at this game as we are. Think about it.

[DIYSteve]

+1 to Permethrin. Yeah, keep liquid permethrin solution away from cats. Wear a mask and nitrile gloves. Once it dries, I don't worry about it. I've treated a bunch of garments with Permethrin solution sold for agriculture use, diluted with water to equivalent of Sawyer's product. Working great. We still carry DEET but haven't used it in a couple years. The military has been using stronger concentrations of permenthrin for a couple decades. I've never heard of any scientifically supported connection to its use and human illness.

[texasbb]

Permethrin++ I'm careful applying it, but dry Permethrin on my clothes worries me a LOT less than slathering DEET or just about anything else all over my skin.

[Foist]

DEET is toxic too (and I think classified as a carcinogen -- I forget). But if you only use it in small doses occasionally, you should not have any ill effects. The point is, dosage is everything. People freak out when they hear, x chemical or substance is "toxic" or "carcinogenic," and assume it means they have to avoid it completely at all costs (of course, in a few cases, it DOES mean that). But we are constantly exposed to toxic substances all the time, including natural ones. The key is how much of it we are exposed to. Some require very high doses to cause health effects; others, not so high. According to that website, the link to prostate cancer was found in professional pesticide applicators -- people who presumably were exposed to large doses of the stuff on a daily basis. (And a "possible link" is sometimes far from a scientific certainty in these studies.) That's a far cry from a hiker who dabs a little on his arms on the occasional buggy hike. I'm not a scientist, but my wife has a masters in toxicology and (soon) a phd in environmental health. So I hear a lot about this stuff, and that's my dumbed-down layman's understanding.

[doublemom]

Unfortunately, even with permethrin-treated clothes and multiple doses of DEET, I donated several pints of blood to the local mosquito population on the Wonderland Trail last year Those buggers just love me, and my hike-mates love me too since I become the skeeter-decoy for the entire campground. I have bad allergic reactions to mosquito bites too, got a steroid injection from my doc before the trip, and carried an Epi-Pen with me just in case. Ditto what others have said on permethrin - if you have cats don't get it anywhere near them... I sprayed my clothes, tent, and backpack (not that it did any good for me personally) at a friend's house to keep it away from my feline children.

[boot up]

I usually try to get the permethrin on my clothes instead of drinking it. Not a cat lover....in fact... nawww.... So does pemethrin act as a mtn lion deterrent too? I have some none DEET repellent that works in mild cases, but it did nothing on one hike on Rainier last summer and I borrowed someone's high strength DEET to dab on a couple of exposed non-Permethrin covered spots and it kept them away. Remember any skin applied repellent including deet only lasts a couple of hours, much like suncreen. And the "natural" ones need reapplication about every hour or less.

[JennieEl]

I'm glad to see this, I had no idea it was so toxic to cats. I have had good luck with it, although it seems to wear off faster than DEET when I am sweating heavily. I sprayed it on the tent around the doors and last year had no problems with the little buggers sneaking into the tent with me, whihc was nice.

[doublemom]

I must be a special case... I use both DEET and permethrin and those little vampires still find me and have a buffet dinner